Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Here is the October Acrobatic Gymnastics schedule. Sunday, October 7th and Monday, October 8th there is no training due to the Thanksgiving weekend. Many athletes have indicated that they will be away on the Sunday and on Monday the Glen Abby Rec Centre is closed. We will make up the missed time throughout the season as we have arranged several other acro events for the athletes. October 26th we will be asking some athletes from the Provincial and Elite Groups to participate in either their pair or group to be demonstrators for the Gymnastics Ontario Coaching Congress. Please speak with you coach about being a demonstrator for the afternoon of Friday, October 26th. On November 4th, 5th, and 6th we will have a training camp for levels 6 and up with guest clinicians from the UK. Please make note of this upcoming event. It will take place on a Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday day times as that is only time we can find space in the gym to run the camp.Halloween there will not be any training as the gym will be closed at 5:00pm. We are a kid oriented facility and that night is all about the kids (not about gluttony or egging cars).

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Here is the information that was discussed at the September 5th Parent Meeting.Communication from the June 2012 Acrobatic Gymnastics
Program Parent Meeting at the Oakville Gymnastics Club

Congratulations to all the Acrobatic Gymnasts who
were offered spots in the Oakville Gymnastics Club Acrobatic Gymnastics Program
for the 2012/2013 season. We do appreciate your dedication, commitment and loyalty
towards the acro program.

Biographies:

Don Holmes – Head
Coach/Director of the Acrobatic Gymnastics Program – Coach Elite Acro Group

Jane Kirwan –
Coach Provincial Acro Group & Interclub Group 2

Daniela Petrova – Coach
Interclub Acro Group 1

See the OGC website
under Competitive Staff.

Gym Renovations: Due to necessary
renovations to the lights the gym was taken apart during the first week of
September. Regular classes will resume
on Sunday, September 9th.

The One Year Contract Policy:
As you know the Acrobatic Gymnastics program offers your child a space
in the program for one year and at the end of each season we do ask all of our
athletes to “ReTryout”. By implementing
the ‘Re-Tryout’ and ‘Tryout’ protocols we are not trying to be mean or
unsupportive of those athletes that we have been working with and developing
over the previous year (or years). Our program is a competitive program with a
limited number of spaces. We are simply trying to ensure that those athletes
who are the most deserving of a spot on the team are receiving those spots. If
at some point we do ask your child to leave the program this may be thought of
as a good thing allowing the athlete the opportunity to explore other sports
where he/she may be more suited physically, mentally or socially. Also at that
time we may invite them to try an alternative gymnastics discipline or program
in the gym as we do believe that gymnastics is for all and we wish to keep
everyone in the gym in some capacity.

Summer Attendance: During the summer
session we expect 50% attendance as a minimum. We would prefer that your child
attends 100% of their scheduled classes but we understand summer schedules are
far more diverse and we would hope that kids take the time to enjoy summer
camps, weeks at the cottage and time with family. Please send an e-mail to your
athlete’s coach with the dates that your child will not be at gymnastics. Low
attendance in some groups on specific weeks may allow us to accommodate other
athletes who have summer training conflicts and permit them to make the minimum
number of training hours.

Fall/Winter/Spring Attendance:
During the school year we expect 80% attendance as a minimum. Obviously the
less your athlete trains the less they will progress and the less they will be
prepared for competition. It is in your best interest to have your athlete at
the gym as much as possible.

Note:Attendance
in Acrobatic Gymnastics is very important as when one of a pair or group is
not at the gym the entire group cannot work on the specific skills that make
acro what it is. Please make sure that
your athlete and family are accountable to the other group members. Share phone numbers and emails so that you
can communicate before a practice whether or not you are sick or going to be
absent for some reason. Also look to
plan family vacations at the same time or after major competitions so that time
is not lost prior to a competition or training camp.

Pair / Group Parent Meetings: In the fall and winter we plan to
have Parent Meetings for the pairs / groups so that the families can meet,
share contact information and give the coaches an opportunity to discuss the
long term plan for the pair group. Notice
of these meetings will be sent to you via email.

Violation of Attendance Minimums and
Removal from the Program: We cannot hold spots for athletes who do not
attend the program. If you have schedule conflicts that will prevent your
athlete from reaching the minimum attendance requirement but wish to remain as
part of the acrobatic gymnastics program please e-mail the Acrobatic Gymnastics
Program Director outlining your situation.

OGC Code of Conduct: We have created a specific code of conduct
for our athletes while part of the team, mostly for traveling with us while not
with a parent. As we travel to
competitions you will see this document and if you have any concerns with it at
that time we can address them then.

Schedules: Summer Schedules and Fall/Winter/Spring schedules have
been distributed. We understand the logistical difficulties that families
encounter by receiving these schedules in June as summer camp registration and
vacations need to be booked several months in advance. Please note that we
create our schedule with careful consideration. We realize that there will be
conflicts and we have outlined how we are attempting to provide concessions for
these conflicts. Also note that due to
the ever evolving space usage of the gym we may find it necessary to change a
scheduled class temporarily or permanently depending on the situation. We cannot foresee these situations but we
will try to provide you with as much notice as possible prior to changes.

Increased Hours and Extra Training: This year we have increased the training hours for all
groups: Interclub increased to 6 hours, Provincial to 9 and Elite to 12. As the level of skill and competition
progress the program will continue to increase the number of hours trained over
the course of a week. Expect an increase
in the 2013/2014 season.

Extra Tumbling Classes:
The Interclub Acro classes are strongly encouraged to pick up a
Recreational Trampoline & Tumbling class once a week over the
fall/winter/spring. The recreational
Trampoline & Tumbling classes can be registered for through the main
office. The Provincial and Elite groups will have one extra tumbling and
individual elements class for those who did not cross over from tumbling or
artistic. The athletes who are to be
part of this extra tumbling class will be invited.

Extra Tops and Base Classes:
In the fall we are starting an Extra two hour class for tops. As the tops require some very specific
flexibility and handstand skills we are asking that they get on the pegs for
this extra class. As well all tops
should purchase their own handstand pegs to practice on at home every day. We will begin an extra bases class later in
the fall or winter.

Peak Performance: Dance and Performing Extra work: The Provincial and Elite groups will have an
additional bit of training included in their Sunday night training where they
will work on dance basics, learning choreography, and polishing the essentials
of how to deliver a peak performance for competitions.

Choreography and Routine Creation: We are requesting that routines for the
Provincial and Elite group be created during a daytime training session as the
gym is very full in the evenings when we are training. As the coaches dictate for each group you may
be asked to sign up for one or two, 2 hour daytime sessions to learn a
routine. The cost will be $50 per hour
(divided across the athletes in the pair or group). i.e.
If your pair/group only needs two hours to learn the routine the cost
will be $100 for the routine. If they
require the additional 2 hour session the cost will be $200. Once the routine is created the coaches will
be provided with a video of the routine and will continue to polish and refine
the routine during the regular training sessions. Routines may be recycled from year to
year. Additional choreographers may be
used other than the coaches. These
expenses will only be for athletes performing Levels 6 and higher. Levels 4 and 5 will be choreographed during
the classes and kept very simple as there is no score for artistry. Clean, tidy, and simple routines will score
better but choreography will be introduced.

Acrobatic Gymnastics Program Weeks Off during the Summer: Note that these change
each year as we need to address the competition schedule that is also ever
changing. We will try to let you know well
in advance so that you can plan vacations/camps/etc. Recently the weeks off have been the last two
weeks of August and we will try to keep them the same in the summer of 2013.

Active Rest: During the rest periods we expect athletes to remain
active. We give the acrobatic gymnasts a checklist of activities to do during
their off time in order to keep them fit.

Nutrition: We will post some nutrition information on the blog at some
point to assist you with meal planning for effective trainings and competitions
so keep you eye on the blog.

Viewing Area Closure: During the
summer months and on some holidays the viewing area may be closed in the
evening. On these days there will be no
parent viewing. Your child will be let in at the sliding glass doors at the
front of the club and be ushered out at the end of their session. When the
viewing area is closed no one is permitted in the gym lobby for safety and
liability reasons. Our apologies for the inconvenience that this might
cause. If there is an emergency and you
need to contact us inside the gym we ask that you bang on the back door of the
gym to try and get our attention.

Individual Parent Meetings: We offer
individual parent meetings as we or you feel they are necessary. If you have
individual questions that pertain to your specific situation we ask that you
not address these in a public forum but leave it to an e-mail or individual
meeting.

Chain of Command:
Speak to your child’s coach(es) directly for anything you may have
questions about. Then you may speak to
Don. If he is not able to help you then
you can speak to Wayne Hussey the COO.
If you have a question about an event/competition DO NOT contact
Gymnastics Ontario directly. DO NOT
contact the host club of an event directly.
If you have a question address it through the coach(es) and we will ask
GO or the event host for you as your question is likely one that other’s have.

Sponsorship: Athletes are able to search for sponsors to offset the
costs of training and competitions. The OGC has created a sponsorship package
for all competitive athletes. Please enquire if you are interested in
sponsorship.

Fundraisers: No fundraisers are set for the Acro Program as of yet
but we are open to ideas from parents.
Simplicity, appropriateness and fund generation are key points to
remember when making your suggestions.
Thanks.

Event and Competition Schedule: To be posted on the blog in the early fall.

Competitive Structure Provincial and National – See
attachment, previous post

The Competitions – see attachment

Training Wear: For acro we prefer that
athletes wear a leotard and shorts. Athletes
with long hair are expected to keep it in a high bun so that it is out of the
way while performing skills. Boys shorts
should be above the knee as you may be doing elements where another athlete
need to stand on your thighs. Please not
long board shorts. Gymnastics shoes are
optional.

Competitive Wear:

We have a warm up
leotard/shorts or singlet/shorts combo for the Provincial and Elite Group that
they need to have when we go to competitions.
This Warm Up clothing if for the stretching and warming up portion of a
competition. Usually the suit you will
wear for competition is more elaborate and we don’t want to cause damage to the
competition suits by doing too much activity in them. A new royal and black suit for the girls will
be for purchase in the fall through Saucy’s World. More information to be circulated in the fall.
Boys are permitted to get a black
singlet and shorts from any manufacturer as it is a simple black suit. You will receive information shortly about
the warm up leos soon. If you are in the
Interclub groups you are expected to purchase the warm up leos as it may be
your competition suit for the year depending on the pair or group you will be
competing with. An additional
competition suit may be required.

Competition suits:
Each pair or group will have a matching leotard or singlet/sorts/pants
for each competitive routine they perform.
We will generally keep the same suit for the season. Athletes going to larger competitions or
higher levels may have three competitive outfits. Plan for this cost as competitive suits usually
cost between $100 and $600 dollars per athletes.

Tracksuits and OGC apparel:
We have the royal OGC Acrobatic Gymnastics program t-shirt for $12 at
the gym. There are OGC Tracksuits that
will be available through the main office.
We will also have OGC fitted women’s tracksuit in a Lululemon style available
to purchase in the fall. Stay tuned for
more information on these items. What do
you need? The t-shirt (parents and family members are welcome to buy the royal
acro t-shirt as well). If you are on the
Elite or Provincial Team women should have either the general OGC tracksuit or
the new fitted tracksuit. Boys we prefer
that you have the general OGC tracksuit for competitions. Interclub athletes all tracksuit and OGC
apparel is optional for you. I suggest
getting the royal blue t-shirt if you plan to attend a training camp or
competition this year (and you will be so get the t-shirt).

Other OGC Apparel:
We will have a navy or white hooded sweat shirt avail and navy or white
OGC sweatpants available to purchase in the fall. These additional items are optional and make
great Christmas presents.

Any Financial questions please direct to
Agnes Jankura in the main office.

Check your e-mails regularly for OGC info.

READ THE BLOG REGULARLY: It is VERY
IMPORTANT that YOU keep up-to-date on the blog. It is the online bulletin board
for our program. Everything is archived there so you can go back and pull any
information that you might need. http://ogcacrobaticgymnastics.blogspot.com/